Thursday, November 13, 2008
Lingo VoIP Free Phone Adapter: $21.95 a month+
Lingo VoIP Free Phone Adapter: $21.95 a month+
Watch out for getting a call from a company called Lingo. They are offering a VOIP phone service that seems very competitive at $21.95 a month, but from my experience they are not to be trusted. The sales guy I talked to was VERY persistent, even though I told him I was not going to stop using my $22 a month wired phone service, and that I was considering the MagicJack that only costs $40 a YEAR. They tell you they don't want to take up your valuable time and send you and email so you can look at the information on their web site. The reason for this is NOT that they are considerate of your time, but that they want to have you use their AFFILIATE link in their email. Then if you become a customer, they get a nice commission. That commission is why they have to charge as much as they do and all the extra fees.
What I found out in letting him try to overcome my objections is that while he at first said there is no long term contracts, they do have an item listed under "Additional Charges" where if you cancel after 30 days before the end of two years, you have to pay them an extra $100. Hey Lingo, here's an idea for you: Why don't YOU pay ME $100 if I drop your service before the end of two years. That might provide incentive for you to make sure I don't WANT to leave, rather than my not leaving because I have to pay YOU...!!!
Ok, I pay about $22 a month. I do some long distance calling and have a nice phone card with pretty low rates. Only 2.5 cents per minute.The Continental Phone Card that I use also has a free 800 number that comes with my account. I don't make many calls, so I pay $20 every 2-3 months. LINGO talks about free long distance, but well take a look at this:
LINGO Additional Charges:
* $29.95 one-time activation fee
* $14.95 US shipping fee, international shipping is currently not available
* $99.95 if you choose to cancel after the 30 day money back guarantee and before 2 years
Lingo Optional Charges:
* For International calling minutes out of VoIP service plan please use the International rate calculator above
* $.99 per Directory assistance call
* $4.95 per month for additional U.S. phone numbers
* $4.95 per month for a toll free number; 100 minutes of incoming calls included
* $5.00 per month for Canada phone numbers
* $10.00 per month for International phone numbers
It may be great service and a good company, but I would be nuts to change. The bottom line is if you get any pushy sales person calling you, get it all in writing first and make sure you understand all the details first.
So why don't I get a cell phone or VOIP phone? Because my wired phone is cheap and it still works even when the power and/or my Internet goes out. What I really want is an Asterisk server so I can have a real home office PBX. Then I would try hooking one or more MagicJacks into that for a super-cheap multi-line SOHO phone system. Maybe someday...
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